Serendipity
by Kecchan
Summary: A befuddled Bella is dragged out to go speed dating by Alice where she meets beautiful Edward Cullen. After leaving with no more than a name, She runs into Edward again. Will she take the hint or will fate have to push her in the riht direction? AH. BxE
1. I Hate you, Alice

**Chapter 1**: I hate you, Alice.

"I hate you. I HATE you. I hate hate _hate_ you." I said through my teeth, jaw clenched shut.

"Aw, I love you too, Bells. You're number 11, so go. Scoot!" Alice shoved me off towards table 11. I sat down and looked at the people here. Some of the guys were... presentable... but obviously slime. Others were just disgusting. The women were disasters. Don't take me wrong, I don't think I'm all that either, but, jeez. It looked like they either tried to hard or didn't try hard enough. I saw business suits, dresses that stopped right under the ass, and a long sleeved flannel lumberjack shirt. Wow.

"Ladies take your seats for the evening and men; find the table you will start at. Each date is 10 minutes long. When you hear the sound of the bell, the men will rotate to the next table. You may begin!" And with the sound of the bell, I braced myself for the worst night of my life.

**-Flashback-**

"Alice! I'm home!" I opened the door and hung my jacket on the wall, dropping my keys in the bowl on the coffee table.

"Yes! No! And Yes!" I heard Alice scream from the other side of the apartment.

"What?" I walked to the back room where Alice was yelling from and marveled at the mess she had made. She only gets home half an hour before me!

"Yes, you're going. No, you can't get out of it, and YES you ARE wearing that." She motioned to bag of what I presumed to be an outfit.

"Now, go get ready so I can do your hair and makeup." She stared into her closet, trying to figure out what to wear. If I were her, I'd probably be trying to figure out if I would be able to get out of that closet. It was huge! She converted the entire third bedroom for her closet. It was insane.

"Alice, can you please tell me what's going on?" I tried to sit on her bed but she ran over and scooted me out of the room.

"All in due time. You don't have a choice anyway, so what does it matter?" She shoved me into the bathroom and shut the door. I started the shower and got in, using the ice-cold water to wake me up. I stared into the showerhead and wondered, if I stared up long enough with my mouth open, would I drown? I decided not to test it and finished showering. When I got out, I wrapped a towel around my hair and myself and walked into my room, finding the bag of clothes on my bed.

I pulled the outfit out and gave it a once over. It wasn't that bad. Dark wash straight leg jeans and a silky button up sapphire blue blouse. The shoes weren't bad either. Black peep-toe flats. I think I may actually enjoy wearing this. I had just gotten my feet into the shoes when Alice barged in.

"Okay! Good, you're dressed. Vanity, now." She shoved me into the seat in front of my hardly-used vanity mirror and brought out the curling iron. She curled my brown hair into loose ringlets and started on my makeup.

"Tonight's gonna be easy." She swiped on some eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss on me and then started on herself. Thankful that my makeover session was over, I walked to the kitchen for something to eat.

"Ally! Are we gonna be eating dinner wherever we're going?" I asked, leaning into the open refrigerator.

"No," she called, "Could you heat me up some of that ziti?" She stuck her head out of my room.

I grabbed two plates, cut us off a couple of squares of the pasta, and nuked it for a couple minutes.

She walked out of my room all glammed up in a little black dress. Not the slutty kind, but fancier than what I was wearing. I didn't even want to think about her shoes.

After eating, we got into my blue Scion TC and Alice drove us to our destination. The car was a forced present from her after my favorite red truck up and died. I didn't like that she was driving _my_ car, but what could I do? I didn't know where we were going. After a few minutes of driving around, she pulled in front of a small crafts shop.

"Alice, I don't get it. Why did we get all dressed up to go shopping for fabrics?" I started unbuckling my seatbelt and was about to open the door as Alice spoke.

"We're not going in _there,_ silly. We're going **there**." She pointed to the building next to the craft store. The neon sign in the front identified the building as _Speedy Date_.

"Oh no. Alice! You didn't!" She had signed us up for **speed dating**!

**-End Flashback-**

I went through so any rounds of the same questions I just started rattling them off without thinking.

What's your sign? Virgo.

What's your favorite color? Blue.

Do you like kids? Not particularly.

The bell rang for the final guy and I couldn't be more relieved that this night was almost over. I had my face in my hands, I sighed heavily, hearing the chair across from me scoot back, and then forwards as someone sat down. I looked up to see the final annoyance of the day and was met by the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

They were bright green with golden specks in them. It was so hard to look away. The only thing that snapped me out of my trance was a musical voice.

"Uh, Hi. My name is Edward."


	2. Oreos and Hot Chocolate

**Chapter 2: Oreos and hot chocolate**

"Uh, Hi. My name is Edward." He extended his hand to me and I took it, looking at the rest of him. He had a gorgeous face. Perfect bone structure and angular nose. His hair was brown with a little bit of red and the light made it look bronze. He had such a delicate touch as he shook my hand. I was speechless and I guess he noticed.

"Ahem, this is the part where you tell me your name." He whispered to me and gave a soft laugh.

"Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Isabella. Call me Bella." I felt my cheeks go red and I pulled my hand from his.

"Bella," he said, "Italian for Beautiful." He gave me a crooked smile and my cheeks got redder. "So, Bella, What brings you to speed dating?" No one but him asked me that tonight. It was nice.

"Alice, my crazy fashion obsessed roommate. She's 3 months younger than I am and takes it upon her self to act like my mother/best friend/sister/pain in my ass." I saw Alice at the table in front of me straighten up and then whip out her cell phone. Seconds later, my purse started buzzing.

_B, He's cute! And what do you mean 'pain in the ass'??? –A_

I glared at my screen and slid my LG Rumor closed.

"Edward, could you do me a favor, please?" I picked up a peanut from the bowl in front of us.

"And that would be?" He asked, smiling.

"Could you move a little to the left, please?" He scooted some and I chucked the peanut at Alice, hitting her square in the back of the head. I heard a soft "ow!" making me snicker.

"Oh. That's Alice." I responded to Edward's very confused expression. It quickly disappeared and was replaced with one that said "Oh."

"What about you? Why are you here?" this got a chuckle out of him.

"I had absolutely nothing better to do than have 15 ten-minute long dates in about 3 hours." This got me laughing for the first time that night. "So what have you thought about your other fourteen dates tonight?" He sat there smiling at me with this adorable little crooked smile that was just perfect for him.

"Ugh. I swear, the next person who asks me my sign is going to get a face full of pepper spray." He graced me with another one of his musical laughs.

"Okay. I suppose that's fair. So... creamy or crunchy?" This caught me off guard.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter?" He asked again, clarifying.

"Oh. Uhm, Creamy I guess." This just made him smile. He started reeling off all sorts of random questions.

"Do you twist your Oreos or dunk them?" Was his final question.

"That depends. Sometimes I dunk them. If I don't have milk, I'll either twist them or eat them with peanut butter. And sometimes I'll twist them, THEN dunk them. I'm not all that exclusive." He took special interest in this answer. I didn't know why.

The bell rang, signaling for the date, and evening, to end. We stood, collecting our things.

We shook hands again and I felt the delicate way he handled my hand. It was like an engulfing caress. He grabbed his coat and walked past me, whispering in my ear for a split second

"Nice to meet you, Bella" I got chills and felt my face get hot with blush.

**EPOV**

_Buzz buzz buzz_. My phone was ringing. Ugh, I just sat down! What now?

"Hello?" I said a little edgier than necessary.

"Hey man," I heard Taylor on the other end of the phone. " I need your help..."

I drove down to the speed-dating place my friend works at and parked in the back.

"Hey man, what's up?" I met him inside.

"Well, one of the guys who was supposed to be here for the speed dating couldn't make it and I can't fill in again. These women drive me insane. They're so desperate and they freak me out. Will you fill for me?" I just looked at him like he was insane.

"Why on EARTH would I want to do that?" I asked. He must have thought I was crazy. People started filing in for the night. I brought my voice down to a whisper.

"Fifty bucks. Please?" Taylor begged.

"No, man. I'd rather pluck my eyebrows." I started to turn around when I heard a light voice coming through the door.

"I hate you. I HATE you. I hate hate _hate_ you." A beautiful girl walked in with long curly chestnut hair and porcelain like skin. She looked so much different from the other women there. She wasn't dressed like a slut or like a stuffy old grandmother. She had on a silky blue top and dark jean. I caught the site of her peep toe shoes as her friend pushed her to table eleven.

"On second thought, I'll take those fifty bucks. You got a deal." I kept my eyes on the gorgeous girl. She looked like she didn't want to be here.

"Awesome! Thanks so much, Edward!" He slapped a fifty in my hand and sat me at table 12. What? Jackass. That meant I would get to her last. Oh wait... I suppose that could be a good thing. It didn't necessarily restrict us to 10 minutes... Oh the possibilities.

The girl at table twelve wasn't really interested in anything. "Just so you know, I have a boyfriend, but my friend doesn't. Moral support, ya know?" She took a sip of her water and we just kind of sat there in silence until our ten minutes was up.

13 girls and 130 minutes later I was ready to just go home. The girls here were feisty! They kept rubbing against me. I was never ever doing this again. When the bell rang for the final girl of the evening I jumped out of the chair and headed behind me. This was it! The girl from before. Number 11. She had her head in her hands and she gave a heavy sigh. She probably wanted to go home too.

"Uh, Hi. My name is Edward." I reached out to shake her hand. She just looked at me for a minute. What? Was something on me? I panicked on the inside until she grabbed my hand and gave a tiny smile. I saw her eyes then. Deep pools of chocolate swimming around a dark black circle. "Ahem. This is the part where you tell me your name." I smiled at her and whatever she was thinking about disappeared since she finally spoke.

"Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Isabella. Call me Bella." She looked down a little and her face got redder with every passing second. It was really cute to see her face flush like that. I wanted nothing more than to keep being the reason for her blush.

"Bella. Italian for Beautiful." I watched as her face went to an even darker shade of pink. "So, Bella, What brings you to speed dating?" She looked surprised to hear me ask.

"Alice, my crazy fashion obsessed roommate. She's 3 months younger than I am and takes it upon her self to act like my mother/best friend/sister/pain in my ass." She smiled and then took out her phone, reading a text. Her face got red again and then she looked at me. "Edward, could you do me a favor, please?" I watched as she picked up a peanut from a bowl between us.

"And that would be?" I smiled to her, wondering what the hell she was gonna do. Was she gonna throw that at me? What did I do?

"Could you move a little to the left, please?" She smiled. I did as she asked and watched her as she threw the peanut at the girl behind me. She responded with an "Ow!" and Bella just glared. Why did she just throw a peanut at that girl?

"Oh. That's Alice." She explained. I realized that she was the friend who _didn't _have a boyfriend. Nice. "What about you? Why are you here?" The abrupt change of subject made me laugh.

"I had absolutely nothing better to do than have 15 ten-minute long dates in about 3 hours." I decided not to tell her about the fifty bucks.. "So what have you thought about your other fourteen dates tonight?" I hoped she wasn't interested in any of the other guys. Her face fell into one of slightly annoyed.

"Ugh. I swear, the next person who asks me my sign is going to get a face full of pepper spray." I couldn't help but laugh. She was witty. I figured not to test that and asked her the most random questions I could think of. After about 3 minutes we had gotten past 10 random things.

"What's your favorite drink from Starbucks?" I asked.

"Peppermint hot chocolate. I always get that whenever I go in." I smiled. She was so innocent. I decided to make the last question something I did just today.

"Do you twist your Oreos or dunk them?" I was a dunker myself.

"That depends. Sometimes I dunk them. If I don't have milk, I'll either twist them or eat them with peanut butter. And sometimes I'll twist them, THEN dunk them. I'm not all that exclusive." She scrunched up her nose. She actually put thought in that question. It made me want to look into her eyes and find out everything else about her.

The bell rang and I stealthily pulled out one of my cards. We both got up and I whispered in her ear "Nice to meet you, Bella," before I dropped my card into her purse.


	3. Serendipity

**Chapter 3:** Serendipity

I got into my silver Volvo and cranked up the stereo. Chase Coy filled my ears and only made me think of Bella. Not like I wasn't already. What was I thinking? Putting my card in her purse! She probably thought I was insane. Geez.

_Baby I just need you here tonight,  
I'm all caught up,  
it seems I'm stuck on you._

I started to drive home. I couldn't get her out of my mind! I pulled into a Starbucks a couple blocks from my house and the same song was on in there!

_Baby I just need you by my side,  
To have and to hold,  
I know it's getting old, but I can't stop dreaming of you._

Before I knew it, I ordered a Peppermint Hot Chocolate. I took a seat at one of the big comfy chairs and laid my head back, trying to get her out of my mind. It was so intense I could hear her sweet voice.

"Grande Peppermint Hot Chocolate, please."

**BPOV**

"So. You and that last guy kind of hit it off, eh?" Alice nudged me in the side.

"Whatever. I still hate you." I just glared and got into my car.

"Well, I'll be out of your hair for the rest of the night. I have a date with Jasper. Will you drop me at his place?" Oh. So that's what she was dressed up for.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'll be home before dawn."

I left her at Jaspers and started home. After thinking about it, I really didn't feel like sitting at home and doing nothing. I pulled in to a Starbucks and ordered my usual drink.

"Grande Peppermint Hot Chocolate, please." I gave the cashier 5 bucks and the barista (Person at Starbucks who makes the drinks) asked for my name to identify the drink. "Bella." I told her.

"Bella?" I heard my name echoed by a musical voice. I turned to see Edward getting up out of one of the chairs. His emerald green eyes seemed so alive. I kept staring at him until the barista interrupted me.

"Peppermint Hot Chocolate for Bella." She said, and placed my drink at the serving bar. I grabbed the cup and felt the searing heat. I almost dropped it but Edward caught it just before my fingers released.

"Careful. It's hot, silly Bella." He grabbed a cover, slipped it onto my cup, and handed it back to me.

"Thanks," I said, blushing. "I'm a bit of a klutz." I sipped my drink slowly, trying not to burn my tongue.

"It's no problem. Want to sit outside with me? It's a little crowded in here," He asked, grabbing a light jacket off the back of the chair he was sitting on. He smiled at me with that same crooked smile and I felt my heart soar.

"Sure. I'd love to." I couldn't say no to those eyes. We were the only ones sitting outside and it felt nice, secluded, and personal. "What are you drinking?" I asked as he sat down and took a sip.

"Ah. Uh... Peppermint Hot Chocolate... It sounded good..." He looked down slightly and I couldn't help but laugh. He was so cute. We began asking more and more questions, learning even more about each other.

"Any hobbies?" I asked, taking a large gulp of my cocoa.

"I play the piano." He looked down again, like he should be ashamed of it.

"Wow! That's so amazing. I am... musically challenged." I brought out a laugh from him and myself. He was even more beautiful when he laughed, if that's possible. "I wish I could hear you play sometime." I said, trying to get more out of my empty cup.

"I have a CD of me playing in my car." He grabbed my cup and popped off the lids, pouring some of his drink into it. "We can sit in there and listen to it, if you want."

If it was any other person, I'm sure I would have said no, but I felt so safe with him.

"Yeah cool." We got up and he led me to the silver Volvo and opened the doors. We got in and he grabbed a thick overflowing CD holder. He pulled out a blank silver CD and popped it into the CD player. The car was immersed in amazing classical music.

"Wow." I couldn't say anything else. I was speechless. We sat there for an immeasurable amount of time, asking even more questions. I learned about his childhood and he learned about mine. We had gotten so close in such a short time. In a fit of laughter I looked up to the dark Starbucks windows and down to the clock on the dashboard.

"HOLY CROW!" I screamed. I startled Edward out of his laughing and he looked worried.

"What? What?" He asked, eyes wide.

"It's 1:30 in the morning!" I started to gather my things and couldn't get the door open. "Alice is going to be so pissed." I finally got the door open and got out. I leaned in the door and stared right into Edward's shocked eyes. "I'm sorry. I had a lot of fun tonight. We should do it again. Bye, Edward." With that I closed the door and climbed into my car, speeding out of the lot and down the road to the apartment I shared with Alice.

I got out of the elevator and walked down the hallway quietly, trying not to disturb Alice. She was bound to be home by now. I slowly opened our front door and dropped my keys on the coffee table. I didn't turn on the light but started to my room anyway. I quickly ran into the corner of the couch, stubbing my toe.

"Oww!" I hissed, grabbing my foot. The lights flicked on and I fell backwards, staring up into the face of a very bemused Alice.

"And where have _you _been?" She asked me, giggling. I had expected her to be mad... What was going on?

"Don't worry, Bells. I _am_ mad that you're home so late and didn't tell me where you were," she said as if she had read my mind, "but you can tell me all about it tomorrow. Goodnight." And with that she walked into her room and shut the door.

**EPOV**

. "I'm sorry. I had a lot of fun tonight. We should do it again. Bye, Edward." That's all. No number. What am I gonna do? It could be weeks before she finds my card. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I'll just leave it up to fate. What was that silly word my mother always used? Oh right, Serendipity. Ugh. I'd just have to leave it up to _serendipity_. Ugh.

I walked into my apartment and sauntered to my room only to be stopped by my giant best friend. "Eddie's home very late. What was he doing, hmm?" He asked with this silly giant grin. I had brought the coffee cups inside with me to throw away and I chucked one at Emmet's face. He caught the cup and stared at it.

"Ooh! Eddie was with a _girl_! This cup has lip-gloss on it! And what's this? A name?" I tried to walk around him but it didn't work. "So, who's Bella, Eddiekins?" I just glared at him and threw the other cup.

"Don't call me that. My name is Edward." I shoved past him and into my room, locking the door. I laid down on my bed, not even bothering to get undressed. I stared at the ceiling and fell asleep peacefully, dreaming of her.


	4. Warning

A/N: Hey guys, I had to separate chapters 4 and 5 cause together it was just too long! Ahaha.

So, here's four. Five should be out in a few minutes because I haven't quite finished writing it yet. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4:** Warning

I woke up really annoyed and slightly motion sick, but I couldn't figure out why. Then it hit me, literally. Alice was jumping on my bed trying to get me to wake up. She pulled my pillow out from under my head and hit me with it.

"Get up! Get up! You have to tell me all about your _late night_!" She squealed and plopped down on the bed, giving it one final quake.

"Alice..." I groaned, shutting my eyes. She climbed up closer to me, shaking me a little, eager to know.

"Yes? What happened!" she shook me more vigorously.

"Alice... Go to hell." And I smacked her with the pillow. Next thing I knew I was shivering and I pulled my legs up to my chest as Alice stripped the sheets off of me.

I sighed and gave up, unwinding myself from my little ball. "Fine." I grumbled, much to Alice's delight. I don't normally have caffeine, since it went very awry in me, but I knew I'd need some coffee today.

I explained the night to her and she just stared at me, dumbstruck.

"Bella. You. Are. So. _Stupid_!" She finally spoke and my jaw dropped. "You didn't give him your number, did you? How the hell do you think he's gonna call you without your number?!" I stared off into space and thought about that. Well, shit! My heavily practiced positive side popped out before I could think.

"I guess it's just up to fate now." I sighed. Alice scrunched up her nose. She hated fate. For her, fate was to slow. When Alice wanted something done she wanted it then and there. None of that waiting for _fate_ stuff.

I don't know what came over me but I felt like going for a walk. Normally I frowned upon exercise. Walking meant moving which meant feet. And my feet hate me. Still, I changed into a grey tank top and sweats with a light hoodie. I made sure to lace up my chucks especially tight so I didn't trip over the laces. I grabbed my iPod and attached it to the armband it came with. I never thought I'd use it but I was glad I kept it.

I had gone quite a ways without tripping and got cocky. I knew it was a bad choice, but I started running anyway. I felt so energized. After about 30 seconds of running triumph, my feet went back to the jerks they were, tripping over themselves and launching me into some poor guy, causing us both to crash to the ground.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I got up quickly and helped him up too.

"It's no problem," he said, feeling the back of his head but smiling. "It's not everyday I get such a pretty girl on top of me." He chuckled. I guess it was supposed to be a compliment, but it just grossed me out. After he was up, he wouldn't let go of my hand.

"Hey, how about we go have a couple drinks? Get to know each other?" I tried to pull my hand away but he had a good hold on it. "My names James, by the way. What's yours?"

"Bella," I replied without thinking. "Uhm, I'm meeting someone actually, I need to go." I tried once again to free my hand but to no prevail.

"Oh don't be that way. I'm sure they'll understand." I started to get scared and then I felt a pair of arms wind their way across my waist.

"Bells, sweetheart, glad you made it. Who's your friend?" I looked up to see Edward's shining green eyes giving James a death glare.

**EPOV**

"Eddie! EDDIE!" Emmet came into my room screaming.

"What do you want?" I grumbled, rolling over.

"Go to the store and get me some orange juice. I'm making waffles!" Normally I would have been all upset that he woke me up to go get him juice, but I wasn't today. I think there were three possible reasons.

One, I liked waffles. A lot.

Two, Emmet gets insanely obnoxious when he cooks.

And three, after dreaming of Bella, I felt great.

I was so energized that I whistled all the way to my car.

Right before I got to the store, I spotted a girl with long mahogany hair and chocolate brown eyes trying to pull away from some guy she apparently didn't know. I felt so protective of her. I got out of the car and walked towards them.

"Uhm, I'm meeting someone actually, I need to go." I saw her try to pull her hand away.

"Oh don't be that way. I'm sure they'll understand." With that I grabbed her by the waist and gave her a light hug.

"Bells, sweetheart, glad you made it. Who's your friend?" I stared daggers at the man who was touching my Bella. He introduced himself as James and dropped her hand, but still didn't leave. I decided to get a little risky.

"Well, nice to meet you James. Bella," I kissed her neck and felt her shiver, "We should go. Don't want to be late now do we?" I smiled sweetly at her as she looked at me and nodded. James just glared and walked away. I immediately felt her relax as his retreating figure kept getting smaller. She put her hands on mine, still around her waist, and beamed at me.

"Thank you so much, Edward." She grinned at me and my heart jumped. She was so adorable. She then noticed our hands and I let her go, watching her face go a deep crimson. "Well, uh, I should kinda get ba--" she had turned around to leave and tripped over her own feet, crashing to the ground again. Luckily I caught her just before her face hit the concrete. Her knees weren't that lucky. "Ow." I heard her say as she looked at her knees. They were lightly skinned but they were still bleeding. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You need to come with a warning label." She glared at me and I stopped laughing. "I'm sorry I laughed at you. Come on, we'll get you some peroxide and band-aids for your knees. I started to help her up, but she collapsed into me, hissing at the pain. I sat her back down, took off one of her shoes, and prodded at her ankles. Her right ankle was sprained and slowly swelling. I just sighed and picked her up, to her objection.

"Quit your fussing." I told her. "I can't carry you _and_ shop and I won't leave you out here. I think I have a first-aid kit back at my place, if you're okay with that." She nodded and I carried her back to my car and sat her in the front seat. Climbing into the driver's seat, I drove back to my apartment and carried her up to my room.

**BPOV**

When we reached his apartment, he kicked the door. I suddenly heard a booming voice yelling "Finally!" as he opened the door he kept talking. He was huge!

"Geez, Eddie! I sent you to the store 20 minutes ago! What the hell--" He stopped speaking once he saw me. A strange girl with one shoe on being carried into Edward's apartment. Great. I felt my face flush as he got a big grin on his face.

"Well, Eddie. I send you out for orange juice and you bring back a pretty girl! Good job, man." His booming laugh was infectious and I found myself laughing too.

"Hardy har har Emmet. Bella sprained her ankle. I need the first aid kit." He barged right past the big guy and set me on the sofa. Edward whispered in my ear before he went to get the kit.

"Don't worry," he said. I could feel his breath on my neck. "Emmet looks mean, but he's just a giant teddy bear."

"So _you're_ Bella!" Emmet sat at a chair across from me. I flushed again. Edward had been talking about me? I guessed I voiced that since he replied. "Well, when Eddie here came home with a coffee cup that had lip-gloss on it and a woman's name written on it, I expected something." He got up and pat me on the back. "Well, as long as your intentions with my little Eddie are innocent enough, I give you my blessing. Oh, and don't forget to use protection! Wouldn't want any-" He didn't get to finish that statement because a shoe suddenly clonked him on the head.

"Shut up, Emmet." I heard Edward say as he brought out the white case with a red cross on the lid. "And don't call me Eddie," he mumbled. He carefully took my ankle and wrapped it in gauze. Even though he was so gentle, it still hurt some. I focused on the music my iPod was playing to take my mind off the pain. It was Stolen, by Dashboard Confessional.

_Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced  
another sun soaked season fades away  
you have stolen my heart  
you have stolen my heart_

I couldn't help but blush. I quickly turned off my iPod and re-focused my attention. I noticed Edward had just finished patching me up.

"Wow. You're really good at that." I stared at the very neat and thorough gauze wrapped around my ankle.

"I better be," he chuckled, "I'm a doctor." I just gasped. He was so amazing.


	5. I Found Your Tickly Spot!

**A/N:** I'm sorry all you people that waited! I planned to have it up soon but I guess my brain just went into a Thanksgiving Day coma. I _would_ say it was a Turkey coma, But I didn't eat any turkey... Anyway, im sorry to you who waited up. I feel like I have an obligation to update this chapter ASAP from the overflow of reviews I got. Haha. I left my E-mail for two hours to read a different FanFic [to get back into the writing spirit, ya know?], I come back, and I had 33 updates from the site! I felt so loved. All that in two hours!

**Chapter 5:** I Found Your Tickly Spot!

**EPOV**

"Wow, really? That's so cool. A doctor. Now I can just call you when I need help instead of going to a hospital." She voiced a light laugh and scrunched up her nose. "Hospitals are creepy and depressing. Full of sick people." I just smiled back at her. She was so beautiful when she laughed. I hoped she _would_ call me. I wanted to be the one she went to when she needed help.

"Oh no!" She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "I should probably get back! How long have I even been gone? I'm supposed to be going shopping with Alice and Jazz! She hates it when I'm late." She started to get up, just to fall back into me again. I didn't care. I liked being the one she fell into.

"It looks like you can't put to much pressure on that ankle just yet. Come on, I'll take you home." I turned around, about to let her climb onto my back.

"No, that's okay. You've already done enough. I'll call Alice." I looked at her a pressed my lips together. She's hardheaded.

"Just climb on, Bella. I've carried you before, I won't bite." She blushed and wrapped her arms around my neck. I stood up and supported her legs, keeping a hold under her thighs. I grabbed my keys and headed back outside to my car.

As I carried her, I couldn't help notice how her hair smelled as it flowed past my face. I loved the feel of her so close to me. When I reached my Volvo, I reluctantly set her in the passenger seat. I felt so empty to not have her warmth there.

"So, where do I take you?" I stole a glance at her, smiling even bigger as I realized she'd been staring at me. Her face filled with a rosy color and she looked out the window.

"Uhm, the Sant'Angelo building. Go to heartline and take a left. It will take you straight to the building's parking lot." She pointed the directions out as she spoke, drawing with her fingertips. I followed her directions exactly and was soon in the parking lot. I parked and got out, pulling her once again onto my back as she got out of the car.

"Which one is you, then?" She pointed to the fourth floor. Since she didn't specify a room number, I supposed it was a full-floor penthouse. We walked in, earning odd looks from the people in the lobby. We just laughed and headed for the elevator. When we got in, she kicked the button for the fourth floor with her uninjured foot.

"Nice shot. I don't think I could've done that without hitting another button." I laughed and felt her arms tighten around my neck. She laid her cheek on the top of my head and I felt her sigh. I couldn't see her expression, but I hoped it was a content one. The elevator doors opened and I walked out into a small hallway. There was only one door so I assumed it was hers.

I felt her moving around and watched as she produced a key, trying to reach the lock. I took the key from her with a light laugh and opened the door. I nearly dropped Bella as a short girl with wild spiky hair and fire in her eyes charged at me.

She jabbed her finger at me, pulled her eyebrows into a scowl, and opened her mouth wide as if to yell at me. When her eyes met a guy's chest and not a woman's eyes, she stopped, and the scowl disappeared.

"You're not Bells..." She looked confused. Bella popped her head down from above mine and greeted the little pixie.

"Hey, Ally. Can you move so Edward and I can get in?" Alice, dumbfounded, moved aside. I set Bella on her couch and heard my name being called from another part of the room.

"Edward? Edward Cullen?" I looked up to see a blonde haired, blue-eyed man around my age. I recognized him instantly.

"Jazzy!" I yelled, sounding like an overexcited schoolgirl.

"Eddie!" He yelled back, pulling me into a hug so tight my parents could probably feel it. "Ah man, it's been years! What are you up to?" He asked.

"Not much man. Still living with Emmett. What about you?" I gave him one last pat on the back and smiled at my best friend.

"Not much either, just hanging out with my girl and Bells, here." He motioned over to Bella who was wearing a _very_ confused face.

"Wait. Wait. Wait" Alice interrupted, "How do you two know each other?" She looked from me to Jasper with the same look as Bella, but more excited.

"We were roommates in college." I said. "We should hang out some time, Jazz. I know Emmett would love to see you again. And Rosalie, too." His eyes widened when I mentioned her.

"They're still together? That's amazing!" we started laughing and I could see Alice was impatient.

"I have an idea!" she chirped in, "Since Jasper, Bella, and I have a shopping date, why don't you and Emmett come over for Dinner? Have him bring his girlfriend." She smiled at us and kind of glared at Bella, but in a loving why I guess.

"Why are you wearing that? Come on; let's get you into some better clothes." She tried to drag Bella off the couch.

"Wait! Alice, Wait! I can't-" I grabbed Bella and set her back on the couch. Alice just glared at me.

"I'm sorry if this has interfered in your plans, but Bella has sprained her ankle and her doctor has informed her to stay off of it for a couple days." I said, very professionally.

"Oh yeah?" She looked back at me. "And who is this doctor?" She raised one of her eyebrows up, like she caught me in a lie.

"I am." I replied. "Dr. Edward Cullen, nice to meet you." I extended my arm and she grabbed my hand, squeezing a little harder than necessary. I flexed my fingers out. She was small, but she was _strong_.

Alice sighed -more like huffed really- and shot Bella a look. I didn't see it, but I _did_ see Bella turn a deep red and Alice turn around grinning. "Okay." She said and grabbed Jasper by the hand.

"I'll have Jazz take me shopping. Edward, I don't want Bella here alone, so stay with her, okay? If she can't walk I want to make sure her _doctor_ can help her with whatever she needs." She waved and then walked out the door.

**BPOV**

Alice sent me an evil grin and motioned to Edward. The look said "I'll just leave you two alone, then..." It made me blush and I know he saw it.

"Okay." She said as she turned to Jasper and Edward. "I'll have Jazz take me shopping. Edward, I don't want Bella here alone, so stay with her, okay? If she can't walk I want to make sure her _doctor_ can help her with whatever she needs." I couldn't help but catch the double meaning to her words and caught myself wishing he would catch it too, but I don't think he did. She walked out the door, leaving me and Edward alone.

"Uhm, you don't have to stay... I'll be fine on my own." I looked down, not wanting him to catch my face reddening. Damn this blush!

"Well, if it's okay with you, I'd rather stay. I want to make sure you don't hurt yourself again and Emmett is going to be so obnoxious if I go back now..." He chuckled a little and touched the back of his bronze hair. Oh he was so gorgeous. Godly didn't even do him justice. And he wanted to stay with me? Even if it was just to make sure I didn't die... "Unless you want me to leave...?" He added quickly, looking a little hurt and nervous.

"No!" I said to quickly. He smiled his crooked smile and I blushed like I always do. "Uhm, I'm going to need to go to the store. Could you help me get to my room? I have crutches in my closet..." This made him laugh.

"You _own_ a pair of crutches?" He hoisted me up in his arms bridal-style.

"Well... I'm very clumsy so I've been to the hospital a lot and they just _gave_ me a pair." He laughed his musical laugh and I just stared at him. I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I wanted to run my fingers through his bronze hair. I wanted to touch his face and watch him smile for me. I shook the thought out of my head. I had just met him! Even though I felt like I'd known him my whole life, I didn't. I had just met him yesterday at a speed-dating place. "Oh, this is my room." I told him as we reached the last door to the right.

He let me down, keeping his arms on my waist so I didn't fall. I loved the feeling of having them there. I opened the door and hopped to my closet, Edward following behind keeping his hands in place and laughing. I reached my closet and grabbed the crutches. When I was securely situated, he dropped his hands, much to my disliking.

"Okay, I'm gonna go change and I'll meet you in the living room." He nodded and smiled, walking out of my room, closing the door behind him. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and changed into some jeans and a long sleeve blue sweater. I pulled a brush through my hair and walked out to see Edward looking at the pictures Alice placed everywhere.

There were some of our childhood and some of high school. Most were from college, though. He was currently looking at a collage of pictures of Alice and I. They went all the way from the first time I met her in high school to just last month when we visited my dad in Forks. He kept complaining that we didn't visit often. It's like he expected us to be over every weekend. Seattle wasn't that far from Forks but we couldn't go over all the time.

Edward smiled at a picture of me and Alice during Christmas one year. We had been caught under the mistletoe and my face was annoyed as Alice placed a kiss on my cheek. I heard him laugh at my expression in the photo and I decided to chime in.

"The guys at the party insisted it had to be a _real_ kiss." I laughed as Edward turned around, startled. "Jasper took that picture, by the way. It was just last year." It was already October. Christmas would be coming around again soon.

"So," he said, "store, anyone?" I followed him out to his car and got into the passenger seat. He took my crutches and put them in the back. He climbed in and started playing a CD. Claire de Lune filled the car and I gasped.

"You like Debussy?" I asked and he smiled sheepishly, looking to me.

"Yeah. It's calming." He turned his eyes back to the road.

"I love Claire De Lune." I smiled and we stayed quiet the rest of the way. Not one of those awkward silences, but a comfortable one.

We reached the store and he pulled my crutches out of the back and helped me out, keeping one arm around my waist. I made my way inside as he got a cart and pushed it for me as I followed.

"So, what are we getting?" He asked.

"I don't know." I started thinking of what to make. "What do you want for dinner?" I felt like a wife asking her husband. The thought made me blush and I looked away, pretending to consider a box of rice.

"I'm sure anything you make would be great." We smiled to each other and I got to thinking. It _was_ a reunion for guys... Maybe I should be thinking like a guy? Hmm. Guys like meat.

"How about steak and mashed potatoes with cheese, bacon, and sour cream?" I asked. "Unless anyone is a vegetarian..."

"No, no. That sounds amazing, actually."

We shopped around and got everything we needed for the dinner. Steaks, potatoes, salad stuff, wine, and some pie for dessert. When we got to the check out line, Edward paid before I could even get my wallet out.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing, mister?" I said, poking his side.

"Paying." He said, smiling. "You're cooking, so I'm paying. Don't try to pay me back because it won't work." I accepted defeat (temporarily) and followed him to his car.

Using the same procedure as before, when we got to my apartment he handed me my crutches and tried to help me out of the car. I tried my best to slip a 20 in his pocket for the groceries and he just caught my hand and chuckled.

"I told you that wouldn't work, silly Bella." I smacked him in the leg with the crutches and he got an evil look in his eye.

He snatched my crutches from me and threw me over his shoulder. He grabbed all the bags with one hand and carried me into the lobby, earning us more odd looks.

"Put me down!" He just laughed and walked into the elevator. "Edward!" I started hitting his back. We entered the apartment and he set the things down in the kitchen, still not letting me go. "You jerk! Put me down!" He tossed me onto the couch, still being gentle, and grabbed my hands, leaning over me.

"I'm a what, bells?" I saw the playful look in his eyes and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Jerk." He smiled with an evil grin and leaned close to my ears.

"Bella," I could feel his breath on my neck, "Are you ticklish?"

My eyes widened. "No! Edward don't!" I yelled, but I was too late. I kicked and yelled as his fingers found every one of my ticklish spots.

"Stop! Edward... quit... it!" I said between fits of laughter.

"What Bella? What was that? I couldn't hear you." He said, still tickling.

"Stop... Tickling... Me!" I said, still laughing.

"Oh!" He pretended to be surprised. "Keep tickling you? Okay, if that's what you want." He tickled me even more until he lost his footing, sending us both crashing to the floor.

I landed on top of him, staring into his green eyes speckled with amber. My breath caught in my throat as he stared back. He reached up, sweeping a lock of hair out of my face and behind my ear. His hand lingered and I didn't notice the doorknob jiggling and the sound of the door opening. What I _did_ hear was Alice gasping and dropping the shopping bag she was carrying.

**A/N:** Okay, so this one was A LOT longer than I thought it would be hahaha. I guess I just got carried away. Hope you enjoyed it! Review please!


	6. Oh my God!

**Chapter 6**: Oh my God!

_I landed on top of him, staring into his green eyes speckled with amber. My breath caught in my throat as he stared back. He reached up, sweeping a lock of hair out of my face and behind my ear. His hand lingered and I didn't notice the doorknob jiggling and the sound of the door opening. What I __did__ hear was Alice gasping and dropping the shopping bag she was carrying._

I jumped up on the couch, freeing Edward from my body weight. He got up to his feet and I saw his face redden.

"I, uh, I should go tell Emmet and Rosalie about, uh, tonight. See you later." With that, he ran out the door, flying past Alice and Jasper. Alice stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Jasper tapped her chin and she closed her mouth. A smile tugged on her lips and her eyes sparkled.

"Bella!" She exclaimed.

"I, uh, groceries." I hopped to the kitchen and began putting the groceries away. How I managed that standing on one foot, I would never know. Alice followed me into the kitchen, sending Jasper to her room with the bags.

"My, my, my, Bella. What _were_ you doing?" I went to push back some hair behind my eyes but nothing happened. Realizing that Edward had already done that for me, I blushed. This only made Alice even more eager. She grabbed the rest of the groceries and just tossed them into the fridge and drug me into her room.

"Sorry Jazzy, but Bella has to tell me all about her day. Will you come back around seven, please?" Jasper just nodded and walked out the door, giving me a sympathetic smile. He knew I was going to be put through hell.

Alice's eager grin turned into an evil one as she dug into one of the shopping bags and pulled out a simple black dress with a beaded waistband and short sleeves. It went to about 4 inches above my knee**[On Profile]**. I don't know for sure, but I think Alice is finally considering my views on the clothes she picks out for me. I would have never gotten this for myself, but this isn't nearly as bad as most of Alice's things. Then she pulled out the shoes.

They were bright red and strappy, lacing all the way up to my knee. The heels were about 5 inches high and as thin as a freaking pencil. Alice must be crazy!

"OH MY GOD, ALICE! Those are fucking stripper shoes! Besides, I have a freaking twisted ankle! I can't possibly wear those! I couldn't walk in those if my ankle was perfect! Are you trying to kill me?!" my eyes were wide and my mouth hung open. And here I thought she was taking my opinions into consideration.

"You are overreacting." She glared at me and then my foot. "But you're right about that ankle. Damn." She pulled out some yellow ballet flats instead. Alice threw a towel at me and sent me to the bathroom to shower.

I was enormously grateful that our shower had a bench in the corner or else I wouldn't have been able to shower alone. I just sat there, relaxing in the heat and steam. I tried not to think about tonight. Dinner with Edward. After what happened today, I don't know if I could ever face him again. I groaned and slumped in the seat, almost falling off. I sighed and shut off the water before the heat made me pass out. I already had one injury today; I didn't need passing out in the shower added to the list.

I wrapped the towel around myself and walked out into Alice's room. She was eagerly waiting with her entire menagerie of beauty products. I sat there, being poked and prodded and gelled and styled, for what felt like hours. And it probably was. When she finally let me go, it was about 5:30.

I changed into the outfit and went into the kitchen to start dinner.

I marinated the steaks, peeled half of the potatoes, and washed the other half. I always do that. I leave some of the skin in the potatoes for taste. I like it. I set the water to boil and kind of stood there, waiting for my inside grill to heat up. This is when Alice chose to pop out her little head.

"So, what did I interrupt on? Hmm?" she giggled and leaned on the wall.

"Nothing." I mumbled. She didn't buy it.

"Fine. What did you two do while we were gone?" I couldn't just say 'nothing' because apparently we did something, just not the something she was hoping. "Oh, wait, how about you start from this morning?"

I sighed and started chopping the potatoes. "Well, I felt really energized and I went for a walk. Then I ran into this guy. He kept trying to get me to get a drink with him. Then Edward saw me and saved me." I blushed, remembering his arms around my waist and how good they felt there. "Then when I was about to leave, I tripped again and I sprained my ankle. Edward took me to his place to wrap it up and such. Then he took me here."

"Okay. He's chivalrous. Caring. What about after we left?" Alice said, examining his actions.

I sighed again and continued. "Well, we went to the store. Edward paid, even though I told him not to. When I tried to stick some money in his pocket, he threw me over his should and took me up here. He put the groceries and set me on the couch. I called him a jerk and he started tickling me." Alice raised her eyebrows. "Then he lost his footing and we fell over. I landed on top of him. Then you guys walked in. It was nothing."

She was nearly bouncing. "He was flirting! Oh, he likes you, Bella! How cute!"

I just sighed, wishing she was right. "No, Alice. We just met yesterday. He couldn't like me. Hell, I'd known guys for four years and they didn't like me. He was simply being friendly." I sighed again. Wow, I've been doing that a lot.

"Very friendly." Alice wiggled her eyebrows at me and winked.

I liked him. I knew that. But how could he like me? I'm so plain. He's so gorgeous that Godly isn't even worthy of him. No one has liked me. Well, there was Eric and Mike... And Tyler trying to take me to prom, but that was just because I was new. It was like first grade and I was the shiny new toy. It all died off eventually. The Tyler thing was just because he almost ran me over with his car.

I dropped the steaks on the grill and seasoned them. The water for the potatoes was boiling so I put them in the pot. I then got all the stuff for the salad. I chopped lettuce, peeled carrots, cut up some tomatoes, and poured in a packet of croutons. Garlic. Delicious. I put everything in a big bowl and tossed the salad. After it was all mixed up well, I set the bowl in the middle of the table and set out the array of salad dressings we had.

I was just finishing up the steaks and potatoes when there was a knock on the door.

Alice walked over to the door, opening it. I grabbed my crutches and limped out into the living room to see our guests.

**EPOV**

I can't believe that just happened. I drove down the road to my apartment in a daze. What have I done? I freaking attacked her! Sure it was just tickling, but come on! I feel like I'm in high school again. Playing games, teasing the girl to show her I like her. I slowed down into the parking lot and slid into a spot close to my building. After I turned off the car I began to bang my head against the steering wheel.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Damn it, Edward! You're doing everything wrong! You just met this woman yesterday and here you are, almost jumping her in her apartment. You're sick!

I just groaned and headed upstairs. Emmet met me at the door with expectant eyes.

"So...? What happened? You were gone quite a while." He waggled his eyebrows and wore a silly grin. I scowled and shoved him a little.

"Call Rosalie. We've been invited over for dinner."

"What? Why me and Rose? Bella doesn't know us." Emmet looked confused.

"Yeah, but her roommate, Alice, knows someone who does." His confused look got deeper. "Alice is Jasper's girlfriend."

"Jasper Whitlock!?" His eyes bugged out of his head. "Ah, Man! I haven't seen him in ages! Rose is gonna be psyched!" He trotted off to his room. I couldn't help but laugh. Emmet is like a child. A very big, burly, dirty-minded child.

I sat around and did nothing for a few hours. Dinner was at 7. We were going to go pick up Rosalie at 6:30. At about 5, I showered and got dressed. Around 6 I started freaking out. Was this going to be awkward? Was this a date? Did the first time I met Bella count as a date? What about that night at the coffee shop?

By the time I was finished worrying it was 6:15. Both Emmet and I were ready, so we just left. I stopped off at the florist and picked Bella up some flowers. Daisies and sunflowers. The daisies were dyed different colors and it was really pretty. I got back into the car and we went to go get Rosalie.

Emmet was sitting in the back with Rose so I sat the flowers in the seat next to me. We neared her apartment and I felt myself starting to sweat, though it didn't show. I took a deep breath and got out of the car.

"Hey man, you okay?" Emmet asked, his arm around Rose.

"Yeah I'm fine. Go on ahead of me. They're in the fourth floor penthouse. I'll be up in a second." Emmet shrugged and went inside while I got some fresh air. I took another deep breath and went inside and into the elevator. This was my third time in her apartment today. I laughed to myself as the doors opened to her small hallway and her opened front door.

**BPOV**

"Bells!" A booming voice bellowed out and I was grabbed up in a tight hug.

"Nice to see you again, Emmet." I released a strangled laugh and he set me down. I noticed a beautiful blond girl in a red dress standing in the doorway. I walked over and took her hand.

"Rosalie Hale, I'm guessing?" I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I appreciate being invited tonight. It smells amazing." I blushed and thanked her, inviting her to see the rest of the apartment. Alice showed them around and Edward walked in, carrying flowers.

"Edward." I said, grinning and blushing, as always.

"Hey Bella." He smiled at me and gave me a one-armed hug, being careful of the crutches. He handed me the bouquet of daisies and sunflowers.

"These are for you. A thank you, of sorts." He smiled and I saw the slightest bit of pink in his cheeks.

I just looked down and smiled, trying to hide the deep red blush on my face. I walked to the kitchen and got a vase, putting the flowers inside and filling it with sugared water.

"Oh! Jasper should be here soon!" I called through the house just as there was another knock. I opened the door to Jasper and watched helplessly as Emmet grabbed him up in a hug similar to the one he gave me. There was a few minutes of greetings and I walked into the kitchen, plating each serving of food.

"Dinners ready." I called, grabbing two plates to the dining room. A second set of plates was set down just after the first. I looked up to see Edward smiling at me.

"Thought I'd help." He said, grabbing the last two plates.

"Thanks," I said, "Could you also get the wine out of the fridge, please?" He smiled and did as I asked. Everyone filed in and took their seats. Alice and I sat at the heads of the table. Jasper to her right and Edward to my left. Emmet and Rosalie sat on the other side.

We poured wine and ate, chatting as we did. There was a roar of compliments about the food. The guys caught up while we girls became acquainted. I brought out the pies and we ate our desserts in the living room, still chatting. I got up to load the dishwasher so that the food didn't dry on. I was surprised again to find Edward with me, helping. We cleaned in silence. After a while, it had gotten late. Jasper was about to leave and Rosalie was ready to go as well.

We all hugged each other, even Rosalie, and promised that we'd all hang out again soon. Edward was almost out the door when I remembered something.

"Oh! Edward, wait!" He turned to look at me and I ran into my room to look for some paper. When I came back empty handed he cocked his head to the side, confused. "Do you have a cell phone?" He nodded and smiled, pulling it out. I grabbed it and called myself. I saved my number in his phone and his in mine. I gave him back his phone and smiled.

"Thanks." I blushed.

"No, thank you." He said. "Tonight was amazing." He pulled me into another hug and kissed my cheek, causing my face to go deep red again. "Goodnight, Bella." He smiled and backed out the door.

**EPOV**

_Oh my god!_

**A/N**: Ah! You guys are so amazing! This story already has more reviews than my other one! Haha! And that one has 17 chapters! Well, keep on, my loving fans!

-Kellers


	7. Maybe its for the best?

**A/N: **I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I've had writer's block for so long. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 7: **Maybe it's for the best?

**BPOV**

I lay in my bed and watched the sun rise through my window. I hadn't slept much that night and when I did, it was short-lived and dreamless. I did, however, spend a lot of time thinking. I completely overreacted to Edward's kiss. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek. Guys kiss their sisters and mothers that way. It's nothing special. I was _not_ going to obsess over a guy again. Last time didn't turn out so well...

My alarm screeched at me and I reached over to turn it off. Six AM, time to go to work. I quickly showered, re bandaged my foot, and got dressed in the first thing I touched, jeans and a t-shirt. I left my crutches by the bed. My ankle didn't hurt much today.

"Alice, wake up! It's Monday!" I heard her grumble as I grabbed my keys off the table by the door and my coat from the closet. "See you after work!" I yelled to her as I walked out the door and into my car.

I pulled into the parking lot of my bookstore, Swan's. It wasn't anything special. The name was simple, I wasn't creative enough to think of another name. It wasn't very big, but it got the job done. We carried pretty much everything, though. Textbooks, study guides, classics, fiction, sci-fi, horror. You name it, we have it. I unlocked the door and walked in, flipping the "Closed" sign to "Open."

I sat at the check-out counter and picked up a thick manuscript. I began reading over it and editing. Since my bookstore wasn't very busy most of the time, I also edited and critiqued novels. Swan's wasn't just a bookstore, but also a publishing/editing company.

Before I knew it, I was halfway through the manuscript and it was covered in my red scribble. I heard the bell on the door chime and looked up to see a young man with short black hair and tanned skin walking in.

"Sorry I'm late, Ms. Swan." I looked at my watch and, sure enough, it was 12:45.

"Don't worry about it, Seth. I covered the hundreds of people in here. I'm surprised you missed them, the last one was here only five minutes ago." I laughed and Seth rolled his eyes, knowing I was kidding. "Seriously, though, Seth. Don't worry about it, You're free to come and go when you please."

Seth was a student at the college nearby. He came and worked for me between classes, which means he normally gets here around noon.

"Alright, Ms. Swan."

"Its Bella, please. I've told you plenty. Ms. Swan makes me feel old. I'm only a few years older than you." I stood up and walked from behind the counter to go check on the window displays when my stomach growled.

"Forget to eat again? You're going to pass out, _Bella_." Seth laughed and set a white bag on the counter. Pop's Italian, my favorite. I stuck my tongue out at him and pulled out the Chicken parmigiana and bread sticks. Seth knew me well. He was like the adorable little brother I never had.

We talked about little things as we ate, how he was doing in school, what his sister Leah was up to, that sort of stuff. After we finished eating, I cleaned up and started editing the manuscript again.

"I'm gonna go stock that box in the back and start on some homework." Seth headed towards the storage room.

"Have fun." I yelled to him and heard him snicker.

After a little while, the bell on the door chimed again, and a blond haired guy walked in, browsing the fiction books. I turned back to the manuscript, only half paying attention. This guy was pretty cute. He was tall, had brown eyes, and seemed nice.

_Bronze hair and green eyes are better._

I sighed, unhappy where my thoughts wandered. I really needed to stop thinking about Edward.

As if summoned, The bell chimed a third time and in walked beauty himself. Edward was in light blue scrubs and the typical white lab coat. He looked lovely, and so did the girl clinging to his arm.

**EPOV**

"Okay, how would one go about diagnosing Wilson's disease?" I stared into the scared eyes of the interns in front of me. Ricky, their attending, was sick today so I was filling in for rounds. When no one answered my question, I called out a random name. "Miss Denali?"

"Uhm, Blood tests?" The girl stammered.

"No. Anyone else?" When again, no one answered, I simply spoke up. "Copper deposits around the iris. It looks like a little golden ring." I sighed and checked my watch. 1:30. Lunch time. "Dismissed." I waved off the interns and walked to the nurse's station, picking up a chart for one of my patients. I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder.

"Uhm, Dr. Cullen?" Tanya Denali tried to look sexy, sticking out her chest and looking up at me. She did this all the time, and it didn't work.

"Yes, Miss Denali? And please, call me Edward. I'm not your teacher, just a substitute." I smiled and placed the chart on the counter.

"I've been having some trouble remembering everything, Do you think you could suggest a study guide or something?"

"Well, there are several that are very helpful, I'm sure anyone you choose would work just fine."

"Will you help me pick one? Theres a bookstore not far from here. We could go real quick and then get some lunch?" She touched my arm again.

I sighed and agreed. She would never leave me a lone if I didn't. Lunch outside of the hospital cafeteria was pretty appealing as well.

We walked over to Swan's bookstore. I'd seen the place everyday, but never gone in. It had a homey feel to it. Tanya and I walked in and she clung to my arm. She pulled me to the section with text books and study guides and began pulling out random ones.

"How is this one, Eddie?" She was sitting on her knees, allowing full view down her top. Would she ever give up? Seriously, she wasn't going to get anywhere with me. I had a different girl on my mind. One with long brown hair, and deep brown eyes. One who was so beautiful that every other girl was repulsive in comparison.

**BPOV**

I watched her flirt with him. He didn't even see me yet. I wonder what he would do when he did. If he did... The girl he was with was beautiful. Tall, thin, reddish blond hair, above average... assets... She was probably his girlfriend. It makes sense, you know? Beautiful guy.. caring, sweet, taken. Thats how it always works. Someone that gorgeous would never like anyone so plain as me. I _will_ get over him.

"Uhm, excuse me?" the blond man came up to the counter, setting a couple books down.

"Hi. Are you ready?" The guy nodded and I gave my best fake smile as I rang up the books. "That will be $14.38 please." He handed me a ten and a five and I gave him the change along with his books, but he didn't walk away.

"Uhm, I was wondering," he stammered, "would you like to have dinner with me some time?" He gave me a sweet smile.

I was shocked. I mean, he was cute, but he was no Edward. Then again, no one is as hot as Edward. Why shouldn't I go out with him? It'll make him happy, make Alice shut up, and get Edward off my mind.

"Sure." I smiled and wrote down my name and number on a bookmark and handed it to him.

"Great! I'll call you. My names Nick, by the way." He smiled again and walked out of the store.

**EPOV**

"Great! I'll call you. My names Nick, by the way." The blond man smiled and left the store. I couldn't help but overhear him ask out the woman at the cash register.

"Eddie, I think I'm going to get this one. Thanks for the help." I followed Tanya to the counter the man just left and looked up to a surprising sight. The girl who had been in my thoughts all day was right there in front of me.

"Bella! Hey! I didn't know you worked here." I blushed a little and watched as she smiled to me and began ringing up Tanya's book.

"Really? I would have figured the name would give it away." I didn't understand. The name Bella had nothing to do with books. "This is my bookstore."

"Oh! Right, Swan's, Bella Swan. Of course. Haha." I laughed nervously and simply stared at her. It hit me then, the girl that guy had just asked out was Bella. And she just agreed! "So.. That guy-"

"Eddie, come on. If we don't go eat now we'll be late. " Tanya walked in front of me and grabbed my arm again. She tugged me towards the door and I gave Bella another small smile.

"Nice seeing you again, Bells." I waved and was pulled out the door.

I couldn't concentrate on anything. Even lunch was full of thoughts of Bella. She just agreed to go on a date with some strange guy. It made me mad, but I had no right to be. It wasn't like she was my girlfriend or anything. A girl that beautiful probably gets asked out all the time. Theres no reason she would even consider liking me. Uugh!

The rest of my day was pretty much the same. All Bella, nothing else. As I drove home, I decided that I would just let her be. I'd be her friend, but nothing else.

**A/N: **Okay, so who can guess my two favorite shows from the hints??


	8. Whats Poppin' Chiken?

**Whats Poppin', Chicken??**

**BPOV**

"Ouch! Alice! Stop pulling!! What is with you??" I winced as Alice tugged on my hair.

"Shush, Bella. Its for your own good." She huffed impatiently and threw the brush down. "Thats it. Go wash your hair. I can't get your hair to obey."

"I just washed my hair!" I protested, but the death glare she sent me convinced me to stop arguing.

I sighed to myself as I turned the hot water on once again. I was just about to step into the shower when Alice opened the door.

"Here! Use this shampoo and conditioner!" Alice tossed some bottles at me that I nearly dropped.

"Hey! Whatever happened to privacy??" I barked at Alice, who still had the door open. She smiled at me evilly.

"Oh silly Bella. How long have you known me? You know I don't believe in that privacy crap." With a large grin, she shut the bathroom door. Of course.

I sighed and stepped into the spray of the shower head. I should have known, Once I moved in with Alice – hell, even before I moved in with her – I had no privacy whatsoever. Whats mine was hers and whats hers was hers. I chuckled to myself as I lathered, rinsed, and repeated.

As I towel dried my hair, I smelled the scent of the shampoo. Normally, I relished in my strawberry scented shampoo, but this stuff smelled amazing. I looked at the brand and laughed to myself. Bed Head, eh? Appropriate.

I wrapped the towel around myself and returned to Alice's room. Sitting in her chair, she began messing with my hair again. I almost fell asleep sitting there, since she stopped pulling.

"Done!" She said, clicking off the curling iron and giving my hair a spritz with hairspray. "Now to move on to makeup!" She clapped her hands together and began removing the hair accessories and replacing them with makeup.

I grumbled inwardly. I always hated when she dolled me up. I glanced at myself in the mirror and id my best to hide the smile forming on my lips. I hated when she dolled me up, but I have to admit I always looked great.

"Alice, please not much. Its our first date. I don't want to look like a prostitute, okay?"I pleaded, giving her my best puppy dog eyes that she gave me so often.

"Fine" She sighed, "We don't have much time anyway. Go ahead and put those clothes on, okay? I need to think of how I want to do your makeup now." She motioned to a set of clothes laid out on her bed.

I got dressed without complaints, actually liking this outfit. It was a knee-length V-neck black and white polka-dot dress with red kitten heels. It kind of had a vintage feel to it.

I returned to the torture chair and sat through my makeup session. It surprisingly didn't take as long as I thought. A little over five minutes. As soon as she was finished, Alice handed me a mirror. My eyes were done up with sleek pointy eyeliner streaks. Kind of like a toned-down Amy Whinehouse. My eyeshadow was black at the lash-line and faded out to silver near the brow line. There was a little powder on my face, and some red-tinted lip gloss. I was quite fond of this look, surprisingly. I felt sexy in it, something that doesn't happen often.

I glanced at the clock, 6:30. Nick said he'd be here at 7. Okay. He had called a couple days after he came to the bookstore and asked me to dinner tonight. As soon as I told Alice, she spazzed out, excited that I had finally agreed to go on a date with someone, hence the Bella Barbie session.

The doorbell rang and Alice scoffed. "If he's this early, just kick him out. He isn't worth it. How awful. Showing up early on a date, what if we weren't ready? Why I ought to just..."

I left Alice to ramble on and went to answer the door. I couldn't help but think the same things, though. When I opened the door, I found I didn't have to worry about it though.

"Wow.. Bells.. uh, you look great." Edward ran a hand through his hair. "Why so dolled up??" He smiled, blushing a little. How cute!

"Oh, uh," I moved over out of the doorway, inviting him inside. "Date tonight." I looked down at my feet as I shut the door. I felt my face heat up.

"With that guy from the bookstore Monday?" He asked, surprising me.

"Huh? How did you know that?" my blush got deeper, as did his.

"Oh, well, I was standing right by him. I heard him ask." He ran his hand through his hair again and looked down. "Well, the reason why I'm here," he quickly changed the subject, "I wanted to check on your ankle. I don't see the crutches anywhere, so I trust it's feeling better?"

"Oh, yea. Lots." I smiled. "It was sweet for you to come check." my smile widened when his blush got deeper.

"Bells?? Are you still here?" Alice waltzed into the living room, stopping when she saw Edward. "Uhm, I thought you said your dates name was Nick. His name isn't Nick. His name is Edward." Alice's eyes turned accusing, and she cocked her head to the side a little.

"Oh, I just came by to check on her ankle. I should be going now." He walked back to the door and gave me a one-armed hug. "Goodbye Bella, Alice." and with that he left.

"Hmpf." I heard Alice grunt and she put her hand on her hip.

"What?"

"Sweetie, I saw that look in your eye. I got two words for you; Hit. That." She snapped her fingers and flipped her hair, walking back to her room.

"Alice!!" my face turned deep read and we both started laughing. I didn't have time for much else, because as soon as our laughter died down a bit, the doorbell rang.

"Wow, Bella. You look great." Nick complimented me when I opened the door.

"Thanks. So do you. Shall we be going?" I smiled at him and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind me.

"We shall." He replied, pressing the button for the elevator.

**EPOV**

Sigh. How pathetic was I? Using her long-healed ankle as an excuse to see her? I'm such a wimp. I couldn't have picked a worse time, either. She was about to go on a date! Granted, I got to see her in that dress. She looked fantastic. But still. A date with another guy. This sucks.

Didn't I just tell myself, not even an entire week ago, that I would just be friends with her?

_But I don't want to JUST be friends with her! And I refuse to accept mere friendship!_

My childish side wouldn't shut up. But it was right...

I need to get my mind off of her.

As if it was a sign, my phone started to ring. Heidi's name showed on the caller ID.

"Hey chick." I answered.

"Whats poppin', chicken?" She replied, our traditional greetings. We soon got into our conversations which tended to be about nothing.

Heidi was a great friend to me. Always nice. Never once threw herself at me like the other nurses and such that worked at the hospital. She was cute too, with deep red hair and gray eyes. She always wore a smile, too.

"Hey, Heidi..." I started.

"Yessir?"

"Want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Like a date?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Sure. What time?"

"Hmm. Is eight okay?"

"Yeah. I'll see you at eight then."

"Okay. See you tomorrow. Bye."

"Buh bye." With that, I heard her phone click as she placed it back on the receiver. I hit the 'end' button and tossed my phone onto the coffee table.

**BPOV**

Dinner was so incredibly boring. He talked about nothing but himself. He reminded me of a kid I knew from high school, Mike. He even kind of looked like him... Maybe they're related?

On the ride home, I couldn't help but wonder why in the world I didn't insist on simply meeting him at the restaurant. Now he knew where I lived! Sigh. Help. I feigned interest as he kept talking all the way to my door.

"You know, Bella," He stepped close to me, invading my personal bubble. "You're really pretty..." He grabbed a lock of my and brought it to his face, smelling it. I guess it was supposed to be sexy,, but at the moment, it really ticked me off. I hated it when guys touched my hair. So, I slapped him.

"A guy who touches a girl's hair without asking is either arrogant, sleazy, or both!" He stared at me in shock, his hand on his already red cheek. I swirled around, Opened the door, and slammed it shut again.

I dumped my purse on the table, left my shoes on the floor near the couch, and padded off to Alice's room. After knocking first – I didn't want to walk in on her if Jasper was here – I threw myself on her bed.

"I'll guess by the slammed door, it didn't go very well." Alice laid on her bed and leaned over my face. "What happened?"

"Boring. Beyond boring. Coma inducing." I scrunched up my nose, making Alice laugh. "It picked up near the end, though. I slapped him."

"What?" Her eyes when wide. "Why?"

"He touched my hair." My face suddenly collided with a pillow. I couldn't help but laugh. "I know, I know. I overreacted. But yeesh. That guy was so boring, he deserved to be slapped." this made her laugh now.

After that, I went to my room, showered for the fourth time that day, and went to bed.

I dreamed of Edward again.

**A/N:** Hey you guys. I'm a tad disappointed. I gave you all four months, and no one guessed what my favorite shows were. They're House and Scrubs. Not so much Scrubs anymore. It got kind of monotonous. Yeah yeah yeah Elliot and JD like each other, WE GET IT! Oh well.

Ya know, I was prepared to make up a whole entire list as to why I didn't update sooner, but, truth be told, I'm just a lazy ass. So, Sorry folks. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Leave me some love!

-Kellers.


	9. Ssh! Its a secret!

**Ssh! Its a secret!**

**EPOV**

I picked Heidi up at 8, like we agreed. Se had her typical sunny smile and was wearing a simple black dress. We went out to eat and just talked, like we just got our lunch break and were sitting in the hospital's cafeteria. It was near the end of the evening and so far it had been pretty uneventful. Just us hanging out as normal.

"Can we drop this charade now?" Heidi asked between bites of her dessert, not even looking at me.

"Eh? What charade?" I asked.

"You know, that this is a date. Cause I don't know about you, but most of the dates I go on don't feel like I'm eating bad pizza in the middle of a hospital." She looked at me know, one eyebrow lifted. "Not that this food isn't better than hospital pizza, cause it is pretty rockin'."

"Ah, yeah. I was thinking the same thing. So, I guess we'll just consider this a dinner between friends. Colleagues." I took a bite of my own dessert, Heidi just nodded.

After we finished eating, we split the check and I took her home. It was fun, but it was no date. Heidi and I are just friends and I don't think either one of us would be okay with being more than that. Besides, even though I was supposed to be on a date with a very beautiful friend, I just kept thinking of Bella. Did she have fun on her date? Were they going to have another one? It may be bad, but God I hope not.

When I got home, I plopped on the couch and just sat there, staring at the ceiling. The next day was Sunday. I didn't have to work Sunday. What should I do to waste time? The farmers market is open on Sundays. My cupboards and fridge were looking pretty bare, too. All that was in them was easy mac, a mass of pancake/waffle batter, and Emmett's junk food. I felt myself gain thirty pounds just looking at the stuff. I needed some healthy stuff. I shrugged, showered, and went to sleep.

**BPOV**

10 AM on a Sunday. What a lovely time to wake up. Not so great for the tummy, though. To late for breakfast and to early for lunch. Hmpf. Oh well. I suited up in my exercise gear, preparing to go for a run to get my mind off my stomach. Maybe Alice and I could go out to lunch somewhere when I got back. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and strapped my iPod to my arm. I left a note on my door for when Alice woke up and headed out the door.

I reflected on the weekend as I ran, hearing nothing but the music from my headphones and the sound of my breathing. After the incident with Nick, I had a pretty nice time this weekend. So far. Alice and I spent all of Saturday watching romantic comedies and talking like two teenage girls at a sleepover. Even though I know the movie marathon was supposed to inspire me to keep trying with guys and have a little patience, I didn't really get that. Each movie showed some macho guy saving a damsel in distress and then she'd get hurt and he'd help her and junk. And they always got hurt by something stupid, like a pricked finger or a twisted ankle. Seriously? That never happens.** [Someone is a little ****forgetful, eh? Denial is a river in Africa, sweetheart.] **

After a while, I needed to catch my breath so I sat down on a bench and laid my head back, resting.

"Are you running out of breath from running through my head all night?" I heard an all-to familiar voice laugh from behind me. I opened my eyes and found Edward staring at me, smiling. "I just keep running into you everywhere."

"Oh! Edward! Hello! Haha. I guess we do keep seeing each other in the oddest places. What are you up to?" I asked, lifting my head up and removing my headphones.

"Just headed to the farmers market. What else is a Sunday morning good for? What about you, what brings you to this bench?"

"Oh, waiting for someone."

"In running gear? Whom, might I ask?"

"Mr. Right." a smile played on my lips as I saw Edward's reaction, catching onto my joke.

"Oh. May I help?"

"Have a seat, good sir." I motioned to the empty spot next to me on the bench.

"Hmm. Lets see. Mr. Right..." Edward squinted his eyes, looking at the other people around us. "He must be handsome. And rich, too."

"Don't forget single."

"Oh heavens, no. Can't forget that. Oh! Might that be him??" Edward pointed to a balding fat guy in an awful red jogging suit. He would run a little ways, then stop and rest, then run again, then stop.

"Nope, can't be him. He's married. Got a ring on that there finger."

"Oh poo. What about him? Or him? Or her, if that floats yer boat." Edward began pointing at random people as I laughed uncontrollably next to him. "What about hi-- OH MY GOD! THOSE SOCKS!"

"Oh no!" I managed to choke out between my fits of laughter. "I could _never _date a man with _those _ socks!"

"Hey.. I think I have a pair of those socks.." Edward feigned a hurt expression.

"Oh my, Mr. Cullen. That must be your only downfall, those god awful socks." I wiped a tear from my eye and continued laughing.

"Hey, they were a gift from my mother."

"Your mother must have hated you."

"Oh yes, everyday she would make me my favorite foods. It was torture, honestly." Edward placed his hands on the sides of his face in mock horror. I started my laughing fit all over again.

"Haha. Well, I should probably be getting back home. I'm going to lunch with Alice. Have fun at the farmers market." I began to stand, and Edward stood as well.

"And you have fun at lunch. It was good seeing you. Bye."

"Bye." I watched as he turned and walked off. I replaced my headphones and began my run back home.

When I got back, I found Alice in the living room, dressed and giving me her "I'm starving" look. I showered and got dressed and we went to enjoy some much needed food.

"So, why are you so happy today?" Alice asked, sipping her coffee.

"What? Oh, no reason. I just went out for a run this morning. Guess it put me in a good mood." I took a big gulp of my lemonade and smiled to myself. I wanted to keep this morning all to myself, to lock it up tight and keep it in my mind, only to be known by Edward and I. I wanted it to be something only we shared. Our little secret. My heart skipped a beat as I thought about it. I wanted more secrets with him.

**A/N:**

Hey folks. I know, I know, I haven't updated in like, a year. But honestly, my heart hasn't been in writing in a long time. Forgive me?

I can't say when the next chapter will be out, but don't worry, there will be one. Sorry for the wait, loves. Hope you enjoy.

-Kellers.


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